3. Tools

3.1 General considerations

When visiting a port, it's the evolution of equipment that is the most striking, along with the race for gigantism. Although this race has been halted for oil tankers, it is still underway for container ships, the latest generation of which can no longer pass through the Panama Canal, and, to a lesser extent, for dry bulk carriers, with the corollary of an increase in the size and speed of handling equipment.

To meet the demands of shipowners, naval architecture has also had to evolve towards the design of increasingly specialized vessels, offering the best return on investment and the best service for a given type of traffic.

These include the new passenger ships, cruise ships and car ferries, growing in size...